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Post by Countess on Oct 5, 2024 19:12:10 GMT
Des steps out of the Uber, not even bothering to look back at the car once she is out of it. The driver is rubbernecking like a plebian, and she has no time nor care for it. She goes up to the gate, not giving a second glance to the intercom. Des knows her place here, knows what to expect. Even as she gets closer, the gate starts to open, and she smirks. Good boy, Jarvis. The best assistant she has ever worked with. Figures it would be an AI. Perhaps, if she asks just right, Tony will gift her a Jarvis of her own. Or, maybe if he dies, she can get custody. Something to endeavor towards. Probably best not to think of it like this, however. Not out loud to Tony, at least.
The woman's heels' click is so very satisfactory to her. She smiles, even through the mild hangover. That's something she can, and will, simply ignore. She might convince Tony to take a nap, and take one herself, but... that will be the extent of her pampering.
Without warning, she walks through the front door. There is no need for a key, it is open for her. As it should be. "Mr. Stark, mon lumière, where are you?" Des calls out into the home. It is time to get to work, another week of them together and getting him more and more acclimated to her power. She wants to know his progress since she has been gone, and more importantly...
Des really wants to use that luxurious shower again... Tony knows how to pamper his guests. Or- Jarvis does. She doesn't care which, she is just capitalizing on it.
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Post by Nomz on Oct 6, 2024 4:18:40 GMT
 Tony frowns at the work that is not coming along too terribly well. The few metals he and Babs have been able to scrounge up have failed initial testing. He hates to admit that he is waiting for word about Nth Metal, which is far beyond his reach. Still, his faith in Barbara is far from failing. Unlike his heart. He taps his finger along the edge of the reactor, looking at it closely now that it is not in his chest. Tony gasps softly as he toys with his own life and wonders if maybe this was merely the price he was supposed to pay. After all, one always hears about the drawbacks of trying to play hero. Suddenly, he can hear his newest hire calling for him from upstairs. " Des," the man wheezes out with something like hope. He knows his words are not loud enough to be heard from the front door, but he can't help the knee-jerk reaction to call her name. " He is in the workshop, Ms. Allard. Welcome back." Jarvis' voice is soft and clear as he replies for Tony. The AI always seems to know what he needs. Tony nods his head at the ceiling in thanks before he lifts the reactor with cold and numb fingertips. If Des is quick enough, she would catch the sight of him slipping the device back into the hole in his chest. Tony ensures it is placed properly before tugging his navy long sleeve back down with a frown. His days are so very limited. |
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Post by Countess on Oct 6, 2024 18:48:41 GMT
"Thank you, Jarvis. Anything to report?" Des says, moving through the home as if it were her own. She starts in the kitchen, opening it to see just how naughty he was in her absence... She sets down a plastic bag on the counter, a handful of things she had grabbed on her way here. One way or another, she is going to get him off of Redbulls and onto healthier choices.
Des then pivots to join him downstairs. While she doesn't see the whole process, she does catch him messing with his little arc reactor before tugging his shirt down. Her eyes narrow slightly. He is... rather despondent at the moment. She looks around the lab, clocking a number of things. He's been down here a while... perhaps it is time for a change of pace?
"Mr. Stark, do you have a juicer?" Des asks, smiling pleasantly as she walks fully into the lab. "I have a lovely recipe to share with you," she says, not getting too close. She wants to urge him out of this monument to stress. A break won't kill him. It will also give her time to ask him about the meeting with Oracle.
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Post by Nomz on Oct 7, 2024 23:55:15 GMT
"My pleasure, Des. Tony has been in the workshop for 84.6% of the time you were away. He has had minimal food and numerous Redbulls." Jarvis rats out Tony like the rat that he is while she is still in the kitchen. All AI are rats at heart.
Tony looks over at Des with a faded award-winning smile, pressing his hands over his sweatshirt to even out the wrinkles. He looks like he hasn't slept much, but that could also be due to his general state of health.
"Believe it or not, I do have a juicer. It was a gift from Happy a few Christmases ago." Tony runs a hand through his messy hair, failing to make it look neater as he comes out from behind his desk. He's happier to see her, to know that Des is back. Even if he doesn't want to admit it to himself.
"He thought it would be funny since I never take care of my health. He almost had me. I almost gave in to the petty urge to spite him," he says this with a more genuine smile as he walks up to Des. His movements are smooth but slow. It seems he is learning his limits and does not intend to push himself while she is around. "Could you imagine me with the newest fad juice in my cup and a pink umbrella?"
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Post by Countess on Oct 8, 2024 0:09:37 GMT
Des sighs all too deeply when she hears the news, though in truth she had expected it. "What am I going to do with you, Tony?" she murmurs to herself while she is still upstairs and alone. If Jarvis is broadcasting her to him, she doesn't sound tired, nor disappointed, but... amused?
"Who is... Happy?" she asks, saying the name as if she expects it to be a dog or a brand. Adults are not named Happy. She can feel Tony's happiness, though, a start considering when she walked in here she half expected a noose.
"No, actually, I can't," Des says, hand on her hip. "Come upstairs with me, prove me wrong," she adds, raising an eyebrow. Will he rise to the bait? Or will she have to drag him kicking and screaming? He seems to be more of a carrot than stick type... It has proved useful in the past. A little encouragement goes a long way.
"Besides, I was hoping to try out your pool, if that was alright...?" Des says, something cheeky in her eyes. She's trying to play him. He has gotten to know that look intimately. "I know it is going to start getting cooler in the coming weeks, I was hoping to take advantage of it while I could... I brought all sorts for my little fad drink," she says, just a hint of a smirk on her lips.
"Can you show me where it is...?"
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Post by Nomz on Oct 8, 2024 0:48:31 GMT
Tony hesitates, looking at Des with the type of surprise that factory resets a person. Those brown eyes blink at her before he gives her a small, baffled chuckle.
"I didn't introduce you to everyone, did I?" He hums to himself, licking his lips to buy himself time. "Happy is my Numbero Uno. He takes care of things for me in my stead and he hasn't been around much because I can't leave."
He talks about Happy like he is a dear friend, though Tony has not said the words. There is a longing there for his friend, a familiar face, but also acceptance. Until Tony is better and able to be out in public, this is just how things must be.
"Why would I want to prove you wrong about that, dearest?" Tony says it with a mock pout and a little flutter of his eyelashes. He looks like he is still torn between simply showing her the juicer and staying downstairs. There is a hint of desperation at the idea of getting his work done.
But the idea of her in a bikini seems to clear up any indecision like the sun on a rainy day. That knowing, playful smirk appears and Tony tips his head a little to the side.
"You wanted a dip in my pool? You happen to be in luck that it is temperature-controlled, so you could swim here any time you want." His tone is playful as he opens the door to his lab, intent on leading the way upstairs. He knows he's likely being played and maybe this is a bit desperate on his end but... He's been alone in this house for well over three months. Shoot him for taking the opportunity to see some ass.
"What kind of drink were you planning on making anyway? Gonna add anything fun to it?" If he isn't stopped, he'll lead the way up the stairs and into the kitchen proper.
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Post by Countess on Oct 8, 2024 1:07:15 GMT
Ah... this Happy is an important person to Tony. Des takes careful note of that. She reels back the general dislike of a man based on his awful name. "You will have to introduce me," Des says. She does that a lot- not requests, but demands, commands, the like. She lets that one settle, hoping Tony does not let that meeting actually happen. Based on the name alone... It matters little, but the man she pictures in her mind is either annoyingly jolly or devastatingly depressed. She does not have the emotional energy for that.
At Tony's fluttering eyelashes, Des stays strong. She isn't falling for it again, not here. Besides, she's brought out the big guns this time around. He needs to get out of here, get some sun, drink a silly little drink, and just let his mind rest for a moment. He will work himself to death at this point.
Hook, line, and sinker.
"Wow, really?" Des asks, following behind him with a smirk of her own. "I can't imagine you swimming, though... Why have a pool?" she asks, seeing if she can push for that, too. "If I had one... You would have to pry me away from it," she says, sighing wistfully.
Fun? Oh, lord, Tony. "Not while I'm on the clock, I'm afraid," she says, dodging that. He doesn't need to know she work up this morning smelling like a distillery. The hangover is still haunting her. "Unless you mean the yummy dragon fruit I got~" she says, almost singing it. ".... or the Chlorophyll I grabbed, too...." she says, doing her best to sound innocent. It is wholly for him.
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Post by Nomz on Oct 8, 2024 1:29:20 GMT
Tony decides then and there that Des needs to meet Happy. Both because he thinks they will need to work together and because he thinks it would be hilarious to watch Happy struggle to smile as Des snarks at him. A little dismissive sniff and he's certain that the vein in Happy's forehead will finally, finally pop.
He has the nerve to grin when his back is to her. "I'm sure you could imagine me without my shirt and absolutely dripping, Des." Tony glances over his shoulder at her with a sly little smirk and a very exaggerated smirk. He laughs at himself as they enter the kitchen, going for the pantry and a little stepping stool.
"Good to know that you're going to be a good influence on me while we're working together. Oracle knows I could use it." There is the sound of creaking metal as Tony steps up on his ladder, shifting around the boxes of supplies and gadgets he hasn't gotten around to using just yet. He says 'Aha!' as he finds the juicer and pulls it down from the top shelf.
He wears a proud little smile as he shows it off to Des. "Tada, a juicer. Never has this thing been opened. Look, it even still has the tackey reindeer ribbon Happy put on it." Tony sets the box down on the nearest counter, picking a knife from his knife block to open it up with.
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Post by Countess on Oct 8, 2024 2:01:12 GMT
Oh... oh no... Des has a finger on the heartbeat that is Tony's intentions, and she just played herself. She would kick herself if she didn't think he would notice and do something about it. Tony is the type of guy to really, really rub her face in it. Without any sympathy or holding back, just like she would have done.
"You overestimate me, Mr. Stark! How could anyone imagine such a vision?" Desiree says, meeting his smirk with one of her own. "No, I would have to see it for myself, but... alas..." she says, sighing. "I would never be blessed with such a vision," she adds, knowing she is laying it on rather thick. That's the fun though, right?
Des could handle the fluttering eyelashes, but that damn smile... Ugh, her heart melts just a little bit. It does not stop her from what she is about to do, however. She waits for him to open the box itself, then gently pries the aging present out of its prison. It is a really.... really nice one, too. She would know, it was out of her price range.
"Mind chopping the fruit...?" Des asks, motioning to the bag as she grabs a couple cups. No question, just making it for them both. Tony seldom has a say in these matters. In the bag is the dragonfruit, blueberries, oranges, kale, and a few bottles of a strange looking liquid labeled Chlorophyll. He isn't an idiot- unless he wants to be obtuse- all of these are specific to detoxing, the Chlorophyll especially.
Des starts washing some of the items, popping in the blueberries first.
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Post by Nomz on Oct 8, 2024 2:14:44 GMT
"A vision ," Tony repeats with about as insincere surprise as he can, "Ms. Allard, keep speaking like that and you will have my heart all a flutter." He mock fans himself as daintily as possible.
He doesn't question it as she asks him to chop the fruit because his hands are already getting a bit restless now that he is out of his lab. Tony picks out a new knife and reaches for the oranges while she washes the other fruit. He does his best to ignore that all of the ingredients are aimed at detoxing- especially the Chlorophyll. It is disgusting. He would know. He drank it straight like an unwanted shot of fireball in the morning for the first month before giving up on it.
"Do you think the blue will win out or the green," he asks to keep the conversation going. His knife cuts into the orange as he spins it in his hands, perfectly cutting away all the white while also keeping the peel in one piece. Though she has never seen him eating an orange, it is clear that he has practice in this. "Personally, I don't think there are enough blueberries in the world to cut out the color of the Chlorophyll. I will say, you have an odd set of items here, Des."
Yeah, no. He is not going to make this easy on her and fully plans to play the unknowing victim. Maybe if he pushes his luck, she'll find a new little reward to dangle in front of him. He smirks down at the naked orange in his hands before setting it down and reaching for a new one.
"How was Nashville? Did you get your Jazz on or was it your twang you were after?"
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Post by Countess on Oct 8, 2024 2:33:03 GMT
Des works around Tony as she washes the kale, rolling her eyes at him and his dramatics. "I would say you don't have a heart, but that currently your problem..." she says dryly, but there is a small smile on her lips. She realizes she missed this a little. Just a little. The banter is natural, something she can settle into easily.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Des asks, curious. Had he wanted to be a chef? She takes the bits of orange, plopping it into the juicer. Then, she passes him the dragonfruit. "Lets see you slice this," she says, grinning as if this were a show.
How does she tell him she already made this drink? Well- she made about a hundred different drinks like this, trying to find the right one that wouldn't taste terrible for him. This was the best one, by far. Just needs a little sugar, but that is in every kitchen. Should be in every kitchen. "Blue," she says, knowing the answer is green. It turns a deep, dark green. He doesn't need to know the lengths she went for him. He might think she likes him. "It is just some fad drink a friend told me about. Perfect for lounging by the pool~"
Des' good mood vanishes. Nashville. She isn't sure which part of it was worse- the racists, or Remy. Pourquoi pas les deux? She shakes her head, a frown forming. Of all the people she could have reached out to back there, she reached out to him. Des could have called Wally, and he would have been there in a heartbeat. Why Tony?
Des will answer that another time.
"I will never step foot in that city ever again," she says. He already knows she called for EVAC.
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Post by Nomz on Oct 8, 2024 2:58:38 GMT
"When I was a teen, my dad insisted I get a job so I could get a taste of earning my keep," Tony says as he places the second orange down and accepts the dragonfruit. He turns it over once before putting it on the chopping board and slicing the top off. "I worked in a seafood restaurant. I was a dishwasher until one of the line cooks got burnt too badly during the dinner rush. Chef looked over at me with this look on his face before asking if I knew how to cook."
His knife cuts into the side of the dragonfruit skin before he starts the process of peeling it off in one smooth motion. Once the fruit is undressed, he slices it into pieces small enough to fit in the juicer.
"Of course, I knew how to cook since Jarvis let me into the kitchen when my parents weren't around. Good ol Edwin Jarvis was his full name and he was our family butler. Probably the closest thing to a parent I had." He shakes his head, pushing the diced pieces to the edge of his chopping board and starting on the next fruit. "Anyways, I made some of the best steaks the restaurant had served and they hired me on as a line cook. The pay was much better."
Tony's grin is lopsided, showing his teeth as he works. "It's a shame no one never told me not to mix ammonia and bleach. I ended up gassing the restaurant and they were closed for a few weeks as it was aired out. By then, it was time for me to go back to boarding school. I never went back."
He snorts as she claims that the blue will win out, shaking his head instead of replying. His mood seems to be lifting already as he works, thoughts of mortality evaporating. Tony catches the change in the mood as he mentions Nashville and he wonders if it is too late to backtrack.
"Their loss," he offers her with a handful of diced dragonfruit. Tony gives Des a little smirk and a wink. "Any names you want to drop? I'm sure I can pull some strings and end some careers. Not that you asked me to, of course."
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Post by Countess on Oct 9, 2024 23:25:59 GMT
Des listens to the story, laughing at the end in a good natured way. She loads up the juicer with bits of fruit and kale, pouring some of the nasty green chlorophyll in along with it. She is going to give him quite the pleasant surprise with this concoction.
"How many people have you told that?" Des asks. The unsaid part is she wants it to just be her. She wants something special, just for her. She wants to take a part of him he hasn't given anyone else. Jarvis- must be where the name came from. She has a little more respect for the AI, and the man that he was named after. Her parents didn't so much parenting, either. That's a story for another time, though. Everyone thinks they know what the story is, anyways, when it comes to mutants and their parents.
Without hesitation, Des answers him. "Nathan Chapman, Warner Chappell Music," she says. Even a modicum of research proves he is the former music producer of Taylor Swift, and the company has written music for the likes of Madonna, David Bowie, and Dua Lipa. "Burn them," she says with a shrug, uncaring. They treated her like she was nothing. "They wouldn't even touch me," she says, looking away at the juice coming out of the machine in front of her. It is Country Music, regardless. Let it die.
Dutifully, she fills two cups with the very green liquid. "Well, can't win them all," she says with a shrug. One cup is slid over to him, and she sips from her glass, making sure to not make a face. It tastes good- but that flavor is still there underneath it all. Dragonfruit can only do so much. "So...." she murmrus, looking at the stairs up to her room he has allotted her. "Mind waiting here?" she asks. "I'll grab a couple suits... Not sure which to wear... I have the most darling one piece... but..."
Des looks at his drink. "I suppose... if there were to be less of something by the time I return..." she starts, then connects her eyes with his, sipping meaningfully. "I might be inclined to wear less."
Behold: the carrot.
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Post by Nomz on Oct 9, 2024 23:52:13 GMT
"The promotion part?" Tony seems to think it over. "More people than I can count. It works wonders for PR when you have a story that makes you seem relatable to the 'little guy.'" He snorts, shaking his head as he sets about putting the chopping board and knife in the sink. It is something for him to do later.
"The chloramine gas part? Not a soul. There are enough people out there who would love to label me as a terrorist. That tale can stay between the two of us, right?" Tony says this with a wink, coming back around to stand near Des and the juicer. He leans on the bar top.
He lets out a low whistle as she name-drops without a second care in the world and he smirks when she tells him to burn them. Oh, he will take great pleasure in doing so later in the evening. His expression evens out a little when she fills two glasses with the weird green liquid.
Tony looks down into his glass, briefly wondering if he can pretend to have a heart attack to avoid drinking it. Des' voice draws his attention back to her.
He knows. Of course, he knows that she's playing with him. Tony is a master of the game and he would be a fool not to recognize another player. She wants him to drink this strange concoction because every ingredient is meant to detox. Even now, she's trying to help him.
That doesn't mean he can't get something nice for being a good boy.
"It is so hot outside even with the cool pool water. You wouldn't want to overheat yourself with a one-piece," he says it like he is merely commenting on wearing a jacket in July. Tony fights off a wince as he sips at his drink, thankful that the Chlorophyll is at least muted. It is a thousand times better than drinking the green stuff straight.
"I'll be here when you make your choice, Des. Take all the time you need. It will give me time to work a bit." Even as he says the words, Stark is pulling out his cell phone and searching for the information on Nathan Chapman. He absently sips at his drink again. Nope, still terrible.
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Post by Countess on Oct 10, 2024 0:21:08 GMT
Hers. Hers, and hers alone. "I suppose," Des says, flippant, but inwardly she is cherishing this little piece of him she has been granted. It makes her feel better, soothing something she hadn't quite known was hardened and cold. If she ever let him know how much such a small thing meant to her, he would tear her to shreds. So, she will keep this to herself, perhaps forever.
Des gives another shrug at his whistle. "You offered," she replies back. She has no qualms. Fuck them. Isn't that how the world works, anyways? It always seemed that way for her. Why not take advantage? It isn't like his music any good. It was paltry, mass produced drivel. No wonder they didn't want her help, they just wanted her.
"Is it now?" Des replies conversationally. She ponders it for a moment as she walks, pausing on the stairs. "I will have to put that into consideration, Mr. Stark," she says. If he were anyone else, if she wasn't afraid he would have a heart attack, she might reward him even more than she implied. Man, but that would mean finishing off his drink entirely, wouldn't it? "Be right back," she says, going up to her rooms. It is enough to let her breathe, enough to allow her to let go of the tight grip she has on her power. She digs through her things, procuring the clothing in question, then goes back downstairs, having shed the jacket and necklace.
"You have a pool room, right...?" Des asks, holding up the colorful pieces. One is nothing more than a bandeau and what could possibly be called bottoms, the other is more conservative suit with navy and white stripes. "How's that drink...?" she adds innocently.
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